Whatever one thinks of narcissistic autocrats, one should not ignore or belittle the fears they tap in to, to gain support.

The solution, though, to address such fears, is not to impose one-sided viewpoints that increase division

Rather the solution is to increase #diversityrich #deliberativediscourse, based on #openknowledge to find how we can improve our systems to work much better for everyone, as assessed by each of us (not in some ideologically defined way).

Is there an alternative to political debates proceeding as gladiatorial oratory with the intention of one argument winning & the other losing?

Yes, #diversityrich deliberative discourse seeking out & fully considering relevant questions from multiple perspectives to find better ways forward.

#politics #democracy #democraticdebate #deliberativediscourse

It has been recognised, at least since classical times, that shallow democracies (those where it is considered enough to give people a vote as to whom they would wish to hold power over them) can too easily be manipulated into dictatorships dressed up as "faux democracies" - and yet we continue to allow this to happen! For democracies to work properly there must be greater depth - including #deliberativediscourse in search of #diversityrich #mutualwellbeing

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